Silence of the Ducks
by FishyFloat
Summary: How does the most talkative member of the team handle loosing his voice entirely?- 12/7- How are the Ducks going to handle a game with only five players?
1. Jokes

"Hey, Mallory," Nosedive grinned and tried to get her attention again. "What do you call a pig that knows karate?"

The fuming redhead punched open the door to the rec room in hopes that someone else would be there to distract him. If nobody else was, maybe she could foist his attention off to the television or a video game.

"A pork chop!"

_Just ignore him,_ she silently ordered. _Ignore him and he'll go away._

"How do you shoot a killer bee?"

He just wouldn't stop! Luck was not on her side. Nobody else was in the room. Struggling to maintain control of her temper, she sat down and tried desperately to find some cartoons.

"Use a bee bee gun. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire?"

Where did he get these jokes? They were terrible! She could understand a four year old telling them, but they really weren't his usual style.

"Nosedive, I really don't care," she snapped, anger sharpening her words.

"Frostbite! What month do soldiers hate the most?"

"You'll be hating your stomach the most if you don't cut it out." She threw the remote at him and got up to leave.

"March!" He caught the controller and dropped it to the couch as he followed her. "Which weighs more, a ton of feathers or a ton of ice?"

"Aagh!" Throwing up her hands, she took off for the kitchen. Dinner should be soon and it was Wildwing's night to cook. He had to be in there.

The obnoxious teenager refused to be denied. "Neither! They both weigh a ton. What kind of crackers do firemen like in their soup?"

Wildwing stood at the counter, cutting up vegetables. A massive pile of shredded carrots lay next to him. Two large cans of coconut milk and a box of raisins sat next to an empty pot on the stove. "Firecrackers," he answered, not turning around.

"No fair, Wing," he whined. "You already know that one."

Mallory took a seat at the table, grateful for the reprieve. Maybe he'd start annoying his brother instead of her. She could just sit here and wait until he was good and focused on Wildwing, then slip out quietly and be free.

"What you making?" Nosedive leaned backwards on the counter, elbows supporting his weight while he looked over his shoulder at the pile of carrots.

"Halva and Ashe Mast."

Nosedive pretended to gag. "Seriously? Way too bitter, bro."

Mallory smirked quietly to herself, satisfied that she had escaped. Actually, Ashe Mast sounded great. It'd been a while since she'd had the chickpea, rice, and yogurt soup. Some people might not like the mixture of sour and bitter, but she loved the balance of the savory dill and garlic to the tangy yogurt and chickpeas. Wildwing was a pretty good cook too, so she knew dinner was going to be excellent.

"You can make something else if you want to take over. Otherwise, shut up." A mischievous smile softened the harsh words.

Mallory envied Wildwing's ability to tell Nosedive to shut up and actually be listened to. Any time she tried, it was seen as an invitation to be even more annoying.

Shrugging, Nosedive snagged a handful of raisins and pushed away from the counter. Blue eyes sparkling, he once more turned his attention to Mallory. "Why was Cinderella a bad hockey player?"

"Ugh." She let her head hit the table. "Stop. Please." She lightly pounded her forehead on the metallic surface a few more times for emphasis. The self inflicted pain was far preferable to his juvenile humor.

"Because she had a pumpkin for a coach. What do hockey players and magicians have in common?"

"Dive," Wildwing broke in, slightly amused. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if Mallory has a sense of humor. She hasn't laughed once!"

"Did you try the mushroom in the bar joke?"

Mallory's head shot up at that and she stared at her team captain in shock and horror. He was actually _encouraging_ this?

"Yeah. She's obviously not a fan of fungi." Smirking, he tried again. "What did the painter say to the wall?"

"One more wise crack and I'll plaster you," she growled. Enough was enough. If Wildwing wasn't going to put a stop to it, she was.

"Hey! You know that one?" He grinned stupidly at her. "Finally. I thought you'd never heard a joke in your life. Want another one?"

"If you don't leave me alone, I swear you won't be able to talk for a week!" Standing tall, she held up a fist for emphasis. When he remained quiet, she turned her back and tried to leave.

"Hey," Wildwing spoke up again. "Why don't you help with dessert?"

Mallory glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't the one he wanted. Sighing in relief, she smiled and returned to the rec room.

_Finally, some peace and quiet._ Nosedive had been following her for the past ten minutes, throwing out one joke after another. He was an unending supply of horrible wisecracks. She doubted even the Chameleon could go that long without repeating himself. Flipping through the channels, she tried to find something good to watch.

_What do hockey players and magicians have in common?_ Damn him. Nosedive hadn't given her the punchline to that one. She sure as hell wasn't going to ask. Maybe Duke knew…


	2. Dinner

**AN:** (05/21/2014) I really have no idea where this story is going or how long it will be. It's pretty much just me playing with group dynamics. I love to throw a monkey wrench into things and seeing how characters will react! While I typically post long, multi-scened chapters, this story is going to be posted as I write it; which means, you'll probably end up with single scene chapters like these two. Hope you enjoy a little more of Nosedive being obnoxious. Next chapter is where the drama starts.

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"So, this freak keeps saying he knows what they did to me," Nosedive laughed and rolled his eyes. He carried a large plate of warmed pitas to the table and set them next to the still steaming pot of Ashe Mast.

Wildwing nodded absentmindedly, only half paying attention to his brother. He had no idea what had gotten into Nosedive, but he hadn't shut up once in the past half hour. No wonder Mallory had been desperate to get rid of him! Still, he was used to it. There were just times when Nosedive got wound up and needed to work off some steam.

A half hidden smile began to form as the leader recalled numerous times he and Canard would send Nosedive on completely made up quests just to get him to shut up for a while. It was amazing that he still fell for the missions after the time they had him hunting for a purple tailed skreet on a camping trip. Four hours, an inadvertent swim in a half frozen river, and two miles later, an exhausted and silent nine-year-old Nosedive had given up.

"Dude, are you even listening to me?"

"Hm?" Wildwing glanced over his shoulder before returning his attention to the pot of boiling sujuk. Satisfied with the thickness, he added walnuts and began pouring the grape dessert into a glass dish to cool.

"Yeah, yeah," Nosedive scoffed. "Ignore your adorable little brother. It's not like I'm not used to it." He took a closer look at Wildwing. "What's that smirk for?"

"Purple tailed skreet."

"What?" Tanya asked as she entered. "What's a skreet?" She began gathering dishes and setting the table.

"Totally the coolest creature on Puckworld," Nosedive enthused. "You can only find them in the Taftan Mountains. They're about the size of a fist and furry. Plus, they have really good hearing; so, you have to be super quiet when hunting them. The rarest ones have purple tails; but, most are blue."

The team tech frowned as she set another plate on the table. "I don't believe you." Zoology may not be one of her areas of interest, but she grew up fairly close to the Taftans and knew all of the local flora and fauna. Even if it was a rare animal, she was sure she'd know about it.

"They're real! Wing and Canard helped me find one when we went camping in the Taftan Mountains. I wanted to keep it, but Dad said they ate too much."

Tanya glanced over at Wildwing for confirmation. His shoulders were shaking with barely contained laughter and he kept avoiding eye contact. There were plenty of times when she couldn't tell if the white drake was being serious or joking; this wasn't one of them.

"Hah! Good one," Tanya laughed. "You almost had me."

"Sorry, Dive," Wildwing chuckled. "You're the only one crazy enough to fall for that." He gave the viscous, dark purple liquid in the pan a few hard whacks on the counter to flatten it and set it aside.

Grin and Duke came in together, deep in discussion about if the brother on Everybody Loves Raymond sounded exactly like Grin or not. They each took their seats and continued their debate.

"Hey," Nosedive looked around. "Where's Mallory? I've got a few more jokes for her."

"Better lay off the jokes for a while, baby bro." Wildwing left the dessert alone and took his seat at the head of the table. "I think she was ready to tape your beak shut."

Nosedive sighed and sat to his brother's right, beak resting in hand. He half heartedly reached for the pitas, only to have Duke snatch the plate away with a devious grin.

"Gotta be faster than that," the former thief teased, piling three onto his plate before stretching to hand it over Mallory's empty seat and to Grin.

"Speed is not everything." Grin added several to his plate before handing it off to Tanya.

Tanya smirked at Nosedive as she took her share. Seeing that Duke had already scooped some of the ashe mast into his bowl, she passed the plate diagonally to the gray drake instead of Nosedive. Duke eagerly took it, keeping the flat bread away from the youngest duck.

"Come on, guys," Nosedive complained. "Gimme."

"Gimme?" Wildwing raised an eyebrow. "You're talking like a four year old now?"

"He talks as much as one," Duke remarked, dipping his pita into the white soup. "Whoa," he coughed and poured himself a glass of water. "That's bitter."

"Told ya," Nosedive boasted. He instantly jumped up and grabbed a jar of honey from the cabinet.

Wildwing rolled his eyes and tossed a single pita onto Nosedive's plate before handing the dish back to Duke. "It is not!"

"Actually, it kind of is," Tanya agreed. She patiently waited for Nosedive to finish covering his bread with the golden liquid before holding out a hand to take the jar from him.

The teen pretended not to see Tanya asking for the honey and slid it to Mallory's empty seat. He'd let them fight over who got it next.

Duke tried to snatch the jar, but Grin grasped his hand firmly. "As I said, speed is not everything," the giant reminded, lightly squeezing Duke's hand.

"Didn't really want it anyway," Duke muttered, giving in.

Grin handed the jar to Tanya and let her sweeten the strongly flavored soup before using it himself.

Mallory finally decided to show up for dinner. She quietly took her seat between Duke and Grin. Dishing out some of the soup and pita for herself, she tried to ignore the fact that Nosedive was sitting at the same table.

"Ey, there's this exhibit at the museum I was thinkin' of checking out- Swords of the World. Anyone else wanta come?"

"Maybe," Wildwing nodded. "When were you thinking of going?"

"Tomorrow. Tuesday, if somethin' gets in the way."

"That sounds like something you might like, Mallory," Tanya prodded. "What with it being ancient weapons and all."

"Yeah," Duke agreed. "You should come, sweetheart!"

"Yeah, right," Mallory snorted. "Duke'll keep going back to the same display over and over and we'll be stuck there all day."

"Could go to The Powder Room after," the one eyed duck encouraged. He knew she couldn't resist a trip to the shooting range and firearms supply store.

"Oh?" She chewed her soup soaked pita thoughtfully. "You're on. If," she stressed, "You buy me a box of ammo for every sword you go back to look at again. And if you go through the exhibit twice, I get a box for every one on display."

"Deal."

"I'll be counting."

"Did I tell you guys about the whacked out loon I met at the mall today?" Nosedive interrupted, taking over the conversation.

"No," Duke shrugged. "Sounds interesting."

"Okay, so, I was hanging at Captain Comics, chatting it up with Thrash and Mook when this totally crazy guy bursts in and hides behind the Demon Destroyer of Darkar rack." He began relating the tale with a speed matched only by his wrist shot.

Mallory sighed inwardly. Here we go again. His voice once again pounded on her already irritated nerves. Try as she might, his yammering kept pulling her attention away from her food.

"I mean, his hair was crazy! It stood out everywhere," his arms went wide in exaggerated demonstration. "Seriously, it made Tanya's look fashionable."

"Hey!" Tanya jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "This keeps it out of my face when I'm working, thank you very much."

"Whatever." He continued, completely unphased by the interruption. "Anyway, after buying like, half the KitKat's in the store, he bumps into me on his way out. I know what they did to you, he whispered to me like I had any idea what he was talking about. Then this giganto bundle of paper falls out of his back pocket and I followed him outside to give them back and he ran into an alley and-"

"For crying out loud!" Mallory exclaimed. "Do you even stop to breathe?"

Silence quickly filled the galley as everyone stared at Mallory. Outbursts from her weren't unusual, but there wasn't anything obvious to provoke this one. Nosedive always shared crazy stories about whatever he'd been doing.

"What?" she demanded, not caring for their looks of shock and surprise. "He never shuts up! It's a constant stream of nonsense. Doesn't it bother anyone else?"

Drake One's alarm forcefully destroyed the silence and overrode any comments they might have made.

Tanya checked her Omnitool to see what had set it off. "There's been a break in at the museum."

"Damn it," Duke growled, looking dejectedly at his half-finished dinner. "Can't we just let the police take care of it?"

"No," Wildwing sighed. "Dr. Droid could be after the Crystal of Atlantis again." He grabbed the pot of soup and shoved it into the refrigerator.

"We should start eating out of Tupperware," Nosedive joked.

"Looks like we'll all get to investigate that sword exhibit," Tanya teased as they jogged down the hallway to the Migrator.

In a matter of minutes, they burst out of the secret entrance to the Pond and sped away to the Natural History Museum of Anaheim.


	3. Museum Robbery

**AN:** (08/19/2014) I'd like to give a huge thank you to those of you who took the time to privately message me and ask for more story. It really means a lot to me that you guys like my writing enough to actually contact me when I vanish for a couple of months. I can't disappoint you guys, so, have some more!

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Also, don't forget to check my Tumblr (link in profile) for review responses if you've left a review as a guest. I do answer questions :)

Duke had to wonder how Drake One had even picked up the silent alarm. Whoever had broken into the museum was a professional, that much was clear. There had been no signs of forced entry outside and he'd had to break them in through a service door. Even now, as they filed through the silent, dark halls, he had trouble figuring out exactly which path the criminals had followed.

"Definitely not Dr. Droid," Mallory whispered, echoing the former thief's thoughts.

"No way." Nosedive's voice echoed too loudly through the halls. "He'd have blasted another hole in the wall."

"Ssh!" Tanya scolded.

"You gettin' anything with the Mask, Wildwing?" Unless they split up, there was no way they could cover the whole museum in time. Considering how cleanly this had been done, he doubted they were even in the building.

"Ahead and to the left. Three of them. Grin, you hang back in case they try to escape through here. Mallory, Nosedive, take the last left at the end of this hall and loop back around through the exhibit exit. Duke, Tanya, you're with me."

"Right," Mallory nodded sharply as she started jogging down the tiled hallway. Nosedive followed closely, easily keeping pace with the soldier.

Wildwing, Tanya, and Duke ran into the Swords of the World exhibit, weapons drawn. Glass littered the floor, sparkling dimly in the security lighting. Swords, daggers, battle axes, halberds, sheaths, and scabbards lay scattered about.

"Freeze!" Wildwing ordered, gauntlet pointed at… Nothing.

"Alright, you gavones," Duke growled. "If you drop the swag and get outta here, I just might not follow you."

The broken cases provided no answers and neither did the criminals who had damaged them.

Wildwing scanned the destroyed room once more. Usually, criminals they interrupted would fight back, not hide in the shadows. Spotting one hiding behind a suit of armor, he silently pointed Tanya towards her target; Duke was sent after the one crouching in the far corner. There should be a third somewhere…

"Gotcha!" Tanya shouted, pushing the armor aside, Omnitool charged and ready to blast.

A shadow flew from the corner. It dodged under her raised arm and thrust a fist into her solar plexus. Side stepping the stunned duck, it tried to escape.

Tanya doubled over, trying to catch her breath. Still fighting for air, she turned to follow.

Duke thrust his saber into the corner Wildwing had indicated only to be met with another blade's resistance. A black-clad shade emerged, forcefully pressing its katana against his saber. A feral smile spread across Duke's face as he willingly backed up. It'd been a long time since he'd dueled with someone who really knew what they were doing.

"En garde," he half growled, half invited. Left arm raised behind him, he turned to the side to present a smaller profile.

Black fabric covering his opponent's head only gave a small view of his eyes. They narrowed, focusing on the sword-wielding drake. He gave a small nod and attacked.

Nosedive and Mallory came running up, having passed through the entire exhibit. Both held their guns at the ready. Meeting their captain's gaze, they shook their heads in the negative. Nothing on their end either.

Wildwing scanned the room again, searching for the third thief. Mallory ran to help Tanya with her foe. Nosedive hung back, keeping anyone from leaving the same way he'd come in.

"Hai-YIEE!" A shrill shout from above was the only warning Wildwing had before a weight came down on his back, knocking him to the floor. Two strong arms wrapped around his neck, trying to strangle him.

The goalie rolled with the blow, allowing his armor to absorb most of the shock. This shadow was much smaller than the previous two but fought twice as hard. He pulled at the arms wrapped around his throat. Thrusting one arm back, he forced his elbow into his opponent's side. The crushing force lessened and he flipped the weight over his shoulder.

Twisting like a cat, the small thief landed on its feet.

"Hey, who invited the Teenage Mutant Ninja Dweebs?" Nosedive quipped, aiming at the small one on his brother had just thrown. He fired a bola. The cords wrapped around their target, completely immobilizing it.

"Thanks, baby brother."

The ninja fighting with Tanya and Mallory scooped a dagger from the floor as it rolled away from another blow. Turning sharply, it threw the blade straight at Wildwing.

Wildwing lifted his shield and the weapon fell to the floor. He glanced at Duke, checking to see if he needed any help. Judging by the way he danced around his foe and the laughter, he didn't.

Throwing caution to the wind, the goalie leaped right on top of Mallory's and Tanya's thief. They fell to the floor, his superior weight giving him the advantage.

"What's this all about?" Wildwing demanded, grabbing hold of the thief's arms and pulling them behind him so they could be tied.

"You'll never know," the man hissed. He continued to squirm, trying to break free. Mallory's puck blaster suddenly appearing in his face made him stop.

"Hey!" Nosedive yelled. "Got a runner!"

The small one that he had captured moments ago had wormed its way out of the bola. It ran straight at Duke and his opponent, a scimitar in hand. Falling to its knees, it slid right between them, slicing at the duck's knees with the display blade.

Duke jumped straight up, avoiding harm. His opponent removed a sheathed katana from its back and threw it at the still sliding comrade. The small ninja caught it, regained its feet, and ran for freedom.

Nosedive followed, determined not to let the artifact be stolen. He dodged around Duke, being careful not to get caught in the duel. He never took his eyes off his target. The runner turned a corner and he followed. He never saw the sheath thrust straight at him; but, he sure as puck felt the explosion as he ran into it neck first.

The teenager dropped to the floor, hands wrapped around his neck as he gasped for air. Air. Air was the only important thing. Swallowing hurt. Breathing hurt. Oh, God. He was dieing.

"He…" His cry for help vanished in an inaudible whisper. Air.

Breathing through his nose was the only way air could even try to refill his lungs. He pushed himself up and half crawled back to the fray, one hand still on his throat. Air. Unable to crawl any closer, he collapsed onto his side. Attention. Air. He needed to get their attention. He needed to breathe. Damn it!

"Are you done yet?" Mallory joked to Duke as he continued to fight.

"Give up?" Duke joyfully asked his foe.

They were too caught up in Duke's showing off to notice Nosedive in the hallway.

Air. He closed his eyes and tried to inhale deeply. Precious oxygen struggled through the flaming coal in his throat. Again. After taking a few shallow breaths, he opened his eyes.

"The Onryō will have his revenge." The ninja refused to surrender.

They still hadn't noticed him. Reaching down to his side, he grabbed a puck blaster from its holster and threw it towards his team. The weapon noisily skittered across the floor before coming to a rest right behind Duke.

Duke stepped back to avoid a strike and his foot landed on the puck blaster. Loosing his balance, he fell backwards and landed hard on his back.

Seizing the opportunity, the ninja ran down the hall to escape. He never said anything as he leapt over Nosedive and vanished.

"Nosedive!" Wildwing finally saw his downed brother as the ninja ran away. He began barking orders as he ran to Nosedive. "Duke, Mallory, after him! Tanya—"

"I know!" She was already following.

"Dive, what's wrong?" Wildwing fell to his knees, one hand on his sibling's shoulder. Somehow, even the glowing, red eyes of the Mask looked concerned. He knew better than to try moving Nosedive before he knew the extent of his injuries.

Nosedive grimaced and continued the battle for breath. He pointed to his throat and worriedly met his brother's gaze.

"Can you breathe?" Tanya demanded as she visually checked him over. No blood, that was a good sign. Nothing seemed broken.

He held up a flat hand and rocked it back and forth. _Sort of._

"Can you sit up?"

Nodding hurt and he stopped as soon as he tried. Instead, he pushed himself up with Wildwing's help. They scooted him to where he could lean against the wall for support.

Tanya mentally ran through what needed to be checked before lightly grasping his hand and moving it away from his throat. ABC: airway, breathing, circulation. She lightly touched his neck, trying to figure out what the problem was.

She must have been trying to torture him. Nosedive pulled back from Tanya's flaming touch, causing his throat to protest even more.

"Easy," Wildwing soothed as he slid an arm across Nosedive's shoulders. He'd hold Nosedive still if Tanya needed it.

"We've got to, you know, get him to the infir-infi- Gah!" She threw her hands up in frustration. "Come on," she stood and motioned Nosedive up.

Nosedive tried getting up, only to have his brother gently push him back down. Smirking slightly, Wildwing snaked an arm under Nosedive's knees and the other behind his back before standing himself. Great. Can't breathe, can't walk. He'd protest if he could get the words out. Then again, Wildwing was here. He didn't have to worry about anything other than air. Wildwing would take care of everything.

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Gavone- Mobspeak for someone who is an embarrassment to themselves and others, a phony.


	4. Infirmary

**AN:** More story! This is the bit I've been avoiding writing. Sadly, it has to happen for the rest of the story to work. Poor Dive. What did he ever do to deserve this?

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Wildwing kept shifting his weight back and forth, resisting the urge to pace but unable to stand still. He considered the infirmary a necessary evil and avoided it at all costs. Not for the first time, he was grateful they'd built it. Nosedive had been fighting to breathe the whole way back; he was better now, but still struggled to take a full breath. Tanya insisted he didn't need oxygen. Wildwing questioned that decision, but let her take the lead; she knew more about this than he did. He and Grin stood back, letting Tanya do her job.

They had left Mallory and Duke at the museum to search for clues and to deal with the police. Heaven forbid Captain Klegghorn be the one assigned to the case; he'd probably accuse them of being the thieves. The officer would be right about Duke, even if he didn't know it. That was one bit of information they'd made sure to keep to themselves.

"Nosedive!" Tanya was getting exasperated. "Please," she begged. "Just lay on your back for two minutes!"

Glaring at her, he refused and continued to stay on his side. The complete lack of comment from the normally comedic youth was disturbing.

"Fine!" she gave up. "It's just going to take longer." She pressed a series of buttons, changing the scanning format. "Just, you know, stay still."

They all waited patiently as the Medicom did its job. Their patience began to run out as Tanya continued to stare at the screen, switching back and forth between two images. Finally fed up with the wait, Wildwing cleared his throat. Tanya glanced over her shoulder at him, shook her head, and went back to her computer screen.

Finally, she turned to face them. "Looks like I have, uh, good news and some, you know, not so, uh, good."

"Yes?" _Patience, Wildwing, patience. She can't help it._ While Tanya's impediment wasn't exactly a stutter, she always became more scattered with her words when she was nervous or excited. He glanced towards his brother, who looked absolutely miserable.

"His cricoid cartilage is cracked."

"Meaning?" Was this the good or the bad news?

Nosedive sighed heavily and winced as the air forced its way up his damaged throat. He drummed his fingers impatiently on the bed, letting his body language speak for him.

"It's the cartilage that protects the larynx. To actually fracture it is, well, it's pretty, uh, impressive. He's lucky they didn't, like, crush his esophagus."

"Thank you for the anatomy lesson," he snarked. "What's that mean for him physically?"

"It means he, uh, he's, he's lost his voice." She glanced from one Flashblade to the other, not sure who to focus on.

"Wh…" Nosedive sat up in shock, eyes wide. His exclamation of concern died out in a pitiful whisper.

Wildwing lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. "For how long?"

"Well, that could, uh, duh, well, um, depend. I mean, the fracture's small." She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and paused. She was noticeably calmer when she once more met Wildwing's gaze. "The issue here is the swelling. He's lucky it's not, uh, bad enough that it's closing off his, um, airway, but it is serious. Right now, he doesn't need surgery." She shifted her attention to Nosedive. "If you want to be able to talk normally again, you're going to have to listen to me exactly. Got that?"

He held up his hand and gave her an okay sign.

"No talking for at _least_ the next week," she stressed. "Don't even try. You need to rest your larynx as much as possible."

Nosedive rolled his eyes but motioned for her to continue anyway.

"No food or anything to drink for the next forty-eight hours. Your airway is already swollen enough; we don't need you choking and making it worse."

"How is he going to eat?" Wildwing broke in.

Tanya raised an eyebrow and cooly stared at him. "You don't want to know."

An IV. Wildwing's stomach rebelled at the thought, twisting itself around and inside out. Focusing on his breathing, he tried to calm the queasiness. "After that?"

"Clear diet only until the swelling has gone down enough to be safe. Not even a smoothie, Nosedive. Got that?"

An overly exaggerated eye roll showed he did.

"You will not be alone in your silence." Grin promised. "As long as you can not speak, I will not, unless a life is in danger or we are having tea."

Nosedive gently shook his head no.

"Great," Wildwing sighed and rubbed his temple. Grin's gesture was extremely generous, but what were they going to do with a third of the team sworn to silence? Then again, Grin didn't exactly speak much. They might not even notice. "What about Thursday's game? Is he benched?"

"I dunno," Tanya shrugged. "He'll have to see Dr. Lowe in the morning. She's the one to clear us for play, not me."

Nosedive grabbed Tanya's sleeve and pointed to himself, then gave a thumb's up. At her confused frown, he elaborated by pretending to hold a hockey stick and hitting a puck.

"Sorry, but it's not my call. I'll go with you tomorrow and explain, uh, things."

Looking to his brother, Nosedive quirked an eyebrow. He obviously wanted Wildwing to come too.

"Maybe," Wildwing evaded. He hated going anywhere near Dr. Lowe. She wasn't mean or rude or incompetent; he just had a severe distrust of all doctors. He'd probably avoid Tanya too if she were actually a doctor and not the team technician. Canard was lucky to have found someone versatile enough for the team that she could fill in as a medic if needed.

"Wildwing," Tanya pulled him from his reverie. "You might want to, uh, wait, you know, um, outside."

"Why?" Nosedive needed him and he wasn't about to leave if he didn't have to.

"Because I need to give him a corticosteroid to bring down the inflammation and he can't swallow anything."

"Oh." Wildwing nodded and moved towards the door, only to have Nosedive grab his arm and pull him back.

The injured duck emphatically pointed to the floor next to his bed while glaring at his brother.

"Dive, I'm sorry. You know I can't." Even the thought of being in the same room as… No. His hands began trembling and his heart beat faster.

Frowning, Nosedive repeated the gesture and crossed his arms. He wanted Wildwing to stay right there and wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

"Dive…" Wildwing gulped, desperately trying to maintain control of himself.

He made a circular motion with one hand and covered his eyes with the other.

Grin stepped next to Wildwing and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering support.

Nosedive waved at Grin to get his attention. Once he had it, he tapped his fingers and thumb together, miming speech. He then pointed from Grin to Wildwing, hoping to get his message across. When Grin placidly watched him, making no move to speak, Nosedive again urged him to talk.

"Thanks, Grin." Wildwing sounded winded, even though he hadn't done anything strenuous since setting Nosedive on the Medicom. "But I really think I should leave. I'm not," he paused to take a deeper breath, "Not ready for this yet."

Glaring at Wildwing, Nosedive brought the back of his hand under his beak and sharply brushed it forward and down, rudely telling his brother to fuck off.

"Nosedive!" Wildwing reprimanded. Oh, Great Mother, he didn't need this. Nosedive _knew_ he couldn't help himself.

Anger never leaving his eyes, Nosedive waved an open hand towards the door. Their staring match ended as Nosedive pouted, giving his brother the most pathetic look he could manage. Acting dejected, he lightly rubbed his throat with one hand and stared at his knees.

"Fine," Wildwing relented. He turned his back to Nosedive and closed his eyes. If his heart beat any faster, he'd have a heart attack. A cold sweat crept down his back, adding itching to his discomfort. "Go ahead, Tanya." _Keep your eyes closed,_ he reminded himself. _Deep breaths._ No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to catch his breath. _Huh, funny. Now neither of us can breathe._

"Damn it," Tanya muttered. The sharp sound of glass breaking followed her cursing.

Wildwing turned to make sure everything was okay. A syringe lay on the table next to Nosedive and Tanya was bending down, picking up whatever she had broken.

Pure panic took over and he bolted out of the room, knocking Grin to the floor in his haste. Heart pounding, he clutched at his chest. He was in the ready room before he even realized he'd left the infirmary. Nervously pacing in circles, he tried desperately to calm down. His armor was too heavy; it was suffocating him. Blindly, he threw his gauntlets away from himself and groped at the buckles holding his pauldrons in place. As soon as those were off, his breastplate followed. The Mask was ripped from his face and cast aside as well. Finally, he managed a decent sized gulp of air.

Suddenly exhausted, he dropped to the floor. Resting elbows on knees, he held his head in his hands and closed his eyes. _Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ he scolded himself. _Nosedive can barely breathe and you can't even look at a— Stupid. He needs you!_

"Wildwing?" Duke's worried voice broke through the leader's self recrimination.

"What happened to Nosedive? Where is he?" Mallory sounded even more concerned than the former thief.

"He's fine," Wildwing began. Clearing his throat, he continued. "He won't be able to talk for a while, but he's going to be okay."

"Are you okay?" Duke knelt next to Wildwing, not touching him but insisting on looking him in the eye.

"I will be," Wildwing assured, nodding a little too vigorously. "I need to be alone right now, if you don't mind."

"You sure?" Duke was doubtful. He hadn't expected to find his leader sitting in the middle of the ready room, armor scattered about, and looking like he'd just played for the Stanley Cup solo.

"Yeah. He's in the infirmary."

Mallory cautiously picked up the Mask and held it out to Wildwing.

"Thanks." He took it and set it on the floor next to himself before lowering his head again.

"Okay…" Duke stood. Casting one last glance at the white drake, he and Mallory went to the infirmary to check on their injured teammate.

Wildwing sat in solitude for several minutes, calming himself and waiting for his legs to stop feeling like overcooked pasta. Thank the stars for Grin. Impossibly, the big guy always knew when to appear for comfort or guidance and when to leave him alone.

Once he felt able, he gathered his armor and went to his and Nosedive's quarters.

* * *

**End AN:** Wildwing's reactions will be explained better in Some Sort of Matter. Until then, you guys get to wonder about it :)


	5. Bickering

**AN:** (09/15/2014) If I wasn't uploading each scene as it's finished, this would be the conclusion of Chapter 1. Lots of Duke and Mallory bickering in this part, so I know that will make several of you happy!

* * *

Mallory stopped just outside the door to the infirmary and glanced at Duke apprehensively. Seeing her normally collected leader sitting in the middle of the ready room with his armor strewn about had shaken her. Wildwing was terrified, and that scared her more than anything Dragaunus could come up with. Something horrible must have happened to Nosedive to do _that_ to Wildwing.

"Kid's fine," Duke assured. "Wing said he was okay an' I believe him."

"Then what spooked him?"

"Dunno." Duke shrugged and pushed the button to open the door. "Never can tell with him."

The door slid open to reveal a scowling Nosedive propped up by several pillows and laying on the closest Medicom. Tanya was quietly muttering to herself while trying to hook up an IV to his right hand. A silent and unmoving Grin stood at the head of the bed.

Relieved, Mallory exhaled deeply. Tension that had crept unknowingly into her shoulders vanished. Nosedive was alive, if annoyed.

"See?" Duke reassured. "Kid's fine."

"Hey," Mallory smiled and stood at the end of the bed. "What'd you do to yourself this time?"

The injured drake halfheartedly waved at them before glaring sharply at Tanya again.

"Finally," Tanya sighed as she removed the catheter and taped down the short section of tubing. "Your veins are impossible to find." She was more focused on the task of hooking up his IV rather than explaining things to Duke and Mallory.

"What?" Duke teased. "Cat got your tongue?" He was a little worried that Nosedive hadn't made a single sound since they'd entered the room. It wasn't like the rambunctious teen to be this silent.

Nosedive pointed to his throat and slowly shook his head. Realizing that Grin was going to hold steady on his vow of silence, he poked Tanya in the shoulder and pointed at her and then to Duke and Mallory.

"Huh?" Tanya turned from her medical equipment to her teammates. "Oh! Duke, Mallory. Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

"S'kay," Duke easily waved off her obliviousness. "What happened to him?"

"He's suffered a fracture to his cricoid cartilage. Pretty much, he can't talk for a week."

"Seriously?" Mallory turned her back to Nosedive so he couldn't see her smirk. Ah, blissful silence! No more horrible jokes, no more inane stories. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the smile from showing. "For a whole week?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much," Tanya agreed. "Maybe longer." With a satisfied nod, she finished connecting the tubing to Nosedive's hand and began the steady drip of replacement nutrients and hydration he'd be unable to consume. "And Grin's taken a, uh, vow of silence, too."

Duke moved closer to the Medicom bed on which a very grumpy Nosedive lay and stood next to Mallory. He crossed his arms and leaned a little to the right to disguise the very hard pinch he delivered to her arm. "Cut it out," he hissed.

Mallory's smile instantly vanished and she landed a carefully calculated blow between his shoulder blades with the back of her fist. She walked around the foot of the bed and sat on the opposite side, unwilling to let Duke win.

"I'm sorry, Nosedive." Amusement hid beneath her comforting tone. "I guess you'll have to write your jokes from now on."

"Oh, please!" Tanya scoffed. "As if we could read them."

Nosedive crossed his arms, frowned as the IV in his right hand shifted uncomfortably at the movement, and uncrossed them. He focused on the plastic tubing snaking across the sheets, slowly rolling a section between his fingers before dropping it. Looking up to Duke and Mallory, he tried to force a smile.

"Kid does write worse than a doctor," Duke agreed. "I dunno, maybe we should find him a laptop or somethin." He snorted in derision. "Stupid things weigh an awful lot to lug around all the time. Shame this planet hasn't come up with anything like a Slate yet."

"Tell me about it," Mallory rolled her eyes. "I hate having to hand write every mission report. At least Wildwing keeps things fairly organized. I just wish I could sort through them digitally."

"What?" Duke teased. "You mean those actually worked for you?"

"Duke," she warned.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

Duke raised an eyebrow at Nosedive, asking for commiseration. He received a half-hearted shrug in response.

"So, how'd that happen, exactly?" Duke changed the subject by pointing to Nosedive's throat.

Nosedive held one hand flat and mimed writing on it with the other. Acting out the whole thing would be beyond difficult.

"Um…" Mallory got up and started going through some drawers. "Where'd you hide the paper, Tanya?"

"Second cabinet from the left, third drawer down." She didn't even look up from gathering the used supplies.

Finding the paper and a pen exactly where Tanya had said it would be, Mallory grabbed a few sheets and brought them over to Nosedive.

The youth eagerly took the papers and folded them in half to make them sturdier for writing. He began scribbling out his version of what had happened, pausing occasionally to think. When he was done, he handed the half-filled page back to Mallory.

Mallory took it and scanned the paper, trying desperately to make out what he had written. "You chased a… Kimga? Huh?"

Duke leaned over and grabbed the paper, tilting it so he could see, and she pointed to the strange word. "Ninja," he said after a moment's consideration.

"Okay," Mallory continued. "You chased a ninja down the… Hellway?" She knew what the word was supposed to be. "Oh!" False enlightenment lit up her face as she continued to read. "Hallway. You chased a ninja down the hallway. Then you ran igto… into… Popenthug? Soptning?"

Duke rolled his eyes and snatched the paper from her. "You chased a ninja down the hallway, ran into something, and couldn't breathe." He looked up from the nearly illegible writing and teasingly shook the paper at Mallory. "It's not that hard if ya take your time."

"Honestly, Nosedive," Mallory lightly scolded, half smiling. "How are we supposed to understand you if you can't speak and you can't write?"

Nosedive matched her smug expression as he smoothly brought the back of his hand under his beak and again brushed it sharply down and forward.

"Why you!" Mallory's hand clenched into a fist.

"Lay off," Duke ordered as he grabbed her hand and pushed it back down. "You goaded him." Releasing her hand, he returned his attention to the silent youth. "Can't believe they managed a throat strike like that. I mean, any harder an you'd of been clipped."

"Huh?" Mallory stared at him, confused. Tanya and Nosedive wore similar expressions while Grin placidly observed from his place against the wall.

"Clipped! Ya know- burned out, hit, popped?" The former thief gave an exaggerated sigh. "Dead. Shiesh! Ain't none of ya know basic street-speak?"

"No, Duke," Mallory chided. "Not all of us speak criminal."

"Mallory?" he warned.

"Yeah?"

"Shaddup."

Nosedive snorted a small laugh before squeezing his eyes shut and lightly placing a hand over his throat. He stared pitifully at Tanya, shoulders sagging and mimed drinking something.

"No," Tanya reminded. "Not until Wednesday."

As if suddenly remembering something, Nosedive reached forward and grabbed the papers from where Duke had set them down on the bed. He wrote something and showed it to Grin.

The massive drake leaned closer to get a better look before slowly shaking his head no.

Frustrated, Nosedive wrote again, this time much slower. He received the same reaction when he again showed it to Grin.

"Need a translator?" Duke teased, holding a hand out. He was surprised to find a clearly written request. _Make sure Wing__'s okay?_ "Oh." He looked up to Grin and realized he wasn't saying no from lack of understanding; he was refusing the request. "Wing's fine, kid. Little shaken up. Said he wanted to be alone." Honestly, he didn't know why. It was highly unusual for their leader to abandon his little brother, especially when Nosedive obviously needed him.

"A little shaken up?" Mallory snorted. "More like out of his mind." She turned her full attention to Nosedive. "He was sitting on the ready room floor with his armor thrown everywhere. He looked pretty panicked. Is there something you're not telling us?"

"Oh, for cripe's sake," Duke covered his eye with one hand and slowly shook his head back and forth. "Like he needed something else to worry about." Dropping his hand, he glared at the redhead. "Ever hear of a little tact, Mallory?"

"How about not hiding the truth?" she retorted.

Nosedive worriedly stared at Grin. He again held up the paper, hoping Grin would go check on Wildwing this time.

Grin reached forward and held a hand out for the pen. When Nosedive handed it to him, he wrote a single word: _Tomorrow._

"I'll do it," Duke volunteered.

"Actually, you should all, uh, leave," Tanya broke in. She had finished cleaning up her small mess. "He needs to rest. Mallory, could you maybe, um, grab me some coffee?"

"Sure…" She doubtfully agreed. "I thought you quit drinking it after noon because it keeps you up."

"I'm going to need it. He shouldn't be unsupervised for the next forty-eight hours in case his throat swells or he stops breathing."

"I'll come back in a few hours so ya can get some sleep," Duke promised. "S'not like I sleep much anyway."

"Thank you," Tanya readily accepted the offer.

"Tea, then?" Mallory offered. Tanya swore the caffeine in tea wasn't as strong and didn't have the same effect on her. She must be right; Tanya was the genius of the group, after all.

"That'd be great. Green tea with a little honey." As soon as everyone had left, Tanya looked to her charge. "Need anything?"

He shook his head no.

"Okay then. Try to get some sleep." She dimmed the lights and turned on the television. Hitting the mute button, she turned on the subtitles and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible while still keeping an eye on him.

Things would look better in the morning. They always did.

* * *

**End AN:** I actually wrote out what I wanted Nosedive to be writing. Although I'm sure his lefty-writing is more legible than mine, it's still amusing to see how different words look when written with your off hand. Next chapter, you get to hang out with Dr. Lowe!


	6. Finding Nosedive

**AN:** (10/13/2013) My story at the top. MINE! Nobody else can have the first story in this section! Buwahahahahahahahha!

Ooh-kay. Maybe I need to lay off the caffeine. And stop channeling Phil. Yeah, that would help too.

Sorry this ended up being such a long, rambling piece. Like I said, this story is just for fun and doesn't really get the thorough editing I typically do with my other pieces. This is, like, first draft with two editing read-throughs for grammar. Enjoy!

* * *

Five a.m. was entirely too early for Phil Palmfeather to be up; but, he'd skip sleeping for three days if it meant getting those Ducks to actually show up for their scheduled appearances. At least traffic wasn't too bad this time of morning. Thank God Dunkin Donuts stayed open all night. After a quick trip through the drive through to get his cup of coffee and a Boston cruller for himself and a hot chocolate and two strawberry jelly donuts for Nosedive, he sped to the Pond.

"He'd better be up already." Phil rambled to himself on the elevator ride down to their secret headquarters. Nosedive should have been waiting for him in the player lounge; but, no, he had to track down wherever that teenager was hiding. He might not even give him the hot chocolate and donuts. Yeah, he'd eat them right in front of Nosedive, just to teach him a lesson about showing up on time.

Why did they only give him access to the one in the locker room? There had to be more than one way in and out! Surely there was an entrance closer to the parking lot.

The door hissed open, revealing a completely empty ready room. Well, that wasn't too unusual. Everyone else was probably asleep. Hard soled shoes echoed loudly in the cavernous space as he headed towards the kitchen. It was empty too, except for a brewing pot of coffee. Mallory always started a pot before leaving for her morning run, so she had to be up.

"He's still asleep." Phil knew it. There was no other explanation. He stormed off in the opposite direction, heading towards the bunks. "Lazy, good for nothing duck. Getting interviews like this isn't exactly easy!"

Was Nosedive's room the second or third door on the right? Third, he was sure of it. He pushed the button to open the door. A fooseball table, arcade game, and hockey equipment told him this was the right room. Darkness obscured most of the room; a small sliver of light coming from the cracked bathroom door outlined the objects, giving him a clear path to the bed.

"Nosedive!" Phil walked right in, intent on getting his star left wing out of bed and ready for that interview. "Come on, bubbe, time to get up!"

"Ungh…" Someone shifted on the bottom bunk before sitting up in the dimly lit room. "Phil? What are you doing here?" Wildwing yawned and ran a hand through his hair, scratching his head a little and trying to wake up.

"Nosedive has an interview at six thirty." The portly human pitched his voice towards the top bunk. "So, you'd better get up before I drag you out of bed myself!"

"Wait, how'd you even get in here?" Wildwing swung his legs to the side. "The door was locked." He stared accusingly at his manager.

"No it wasn't. I pushed the button and it opened."

"Dive," Wildwing complained and stood, glancing upward before remembering last night's events. "He's not here." He shuffled to the closet and pulled on a t-shirt. "He's in the infirmary."

"What! No, no, no! This can't be happening. What's wrong? What happened? Can he still do an interview?" Questions sputtered forth faster than answers could be given.

Wildwing crossed his arms and glared down at the human. His hair stuck out in uneven clumps, giving him the appearance of a ticked off cockatoo. The dark gray, beach bum t-shirt accented the drowsy duck's muscles, warning Phil not to annoy him too much this early in the morning. The ranting died under his withering stare.

"He's lost his voice," Wildwing finally said when Phil gave him a chance.

Beeping from Nosedive's alarm clock interrupted them. Wildwing jumped onto the top bunk and turned off the annoying device. On a second thought, he turned his own off as well.

"Great," Phil complained. "How's he supposed to do an interview with no voice?"

"That's your problem." Wildwing exited and glanced back. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, yeah." Phil followed. The door closed behind him automatically.

"Oh, and, Phil?"

"Uh… Yeah?"

"Don't ever come into my room again without knocking."

"Heh, heh. Sure." Wow. Wildwing could be a grouch in the mornings. Phil made a note to himself, never approach leader-duck for anything before seven a.m.

They walked to the infirmary in silence.

Wildwing stopped just outside the doors and gave them a hard stare.

"Mad at the door? What'd it do, try to bite you?" Phil tried to lighten the mood.

Wildwing ignored him and continued to stare at the door, one hand slowly clenching and unclenching.

"Ooh-kay." Confused by Wildwing's actions, Phil went ahead and pressed the button. As soon as the door opened, Wildwing's eyes closed. "Are you coming?"

"In a minute." His voice held more tension than his shoulders. It looked like he was about to make a break for it.

"Whatever." Phil brushed off his strange behavior and entered the darkened room.

Nosedive slept on one of the medicom beds, half propped up by several pillows. Although not completely dark, most of the lights had been turned off or dimmed. Blond hair sticking out from under a sheet on another medicom hinted to Tanya's presence. She was completely covered up and snoring softly.

"Come ta keep me company?" Duke's soft words could be heard; but, the gray duck wasn't anywhere in sight.

"No, I came to get Nosedive up." Phil held up the hot chocolate and bag of donuts he'd been carrying around. "I've got his breakfast and he's got an interview."

"Dun think that'll be happening." Duke appeared from a corner. "Kid's lost his voice for the next week or so." He glanced towards the still open door. "Yo, Wing!" he kept his voice low. "You coming in or what?"

The disheveled goalie opened his fist, but kept his eyes closed. "Is it safe?"

"Uh…" Duke glanced around. "No lizards in here, so, yeah. It's safe."

Wildwing tilted his head to the left momentarily before shaking it no. "Wake up Nosedive and ask him if I can come in."

"What's up with him?" Phil jerked a thumb towards Wildwing.

"Beats me." Duke shook Nosedive's shoulder. "Come on, kid. Time ta get up."

Nosedive took a deep breath cringed instantly as he opened his beak to yawn. Sleepy eyes glared at Duke, demanding to know why he'd been woken.

"Wing wants to know if he can come in."

The teen rolled his eyes in annoyance after glancing to the door. He pulled the sheet over his right arm, hiding the IV. Tugging at the blanket covering his sheets, he pulled it off and gestured towards the IV pole next to his bed.

"What?" Duke didn't understand what he wanted.

Nosedive tried throwing the blanket over the pole himself before Duke realized what he wanted and did it for him. He covered his right arm again and glanced around the room, looking for something. After deciding it was clear, he gave a thumbs up and pointed to Wildwing before waving for him to come in.

"Kid says it's safe," Duke translated the motions.

Wildwing opened his eyes and came over to them, all the while nervously glancing around for hidden dangers. He sat on the edge of Nosedive's bed with his back to the covered IV pole.

"What are we going to do about the interview?" Phil demanded. "Somebody's got to be at KLAA in," he checked his watch, "Forty minutes. They've been advertising Nosedive for the past three days and expect him there."

"Radio?" Wildwing glanced at Phil.

"Yes. Voiceless isn't going to fly for a radio interview."

Wildwing sighed and looked from Nosedive to Duke. "Duke? You got this one?"

"Nuh-uh. I been up with the kid since two this morning. You do it."

"And Grin's taken a vow of silence," Wildwing reminded himself. "I'm not about to wake Tanya."

"And Mallory's banned. Looks like it's you, bubala." Mallory wasn't banned from the radio station per-say; he just didn't want to have to pay to fix any equipment she might break again.

"Fine." Wildwing put a hand on Nosedive's knee and shook it slightly. "Get up, Dive. You're coming with."

He pushed his head forward and raised his hands in annoyance. _Why?_

"Because it's your interview. Just write down whatever you want to say."

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Duke laughed. "What station again? I might have to listen to this instead a sleeping."

"Eight thirty KLAA," Phil told him. "Come on, you two! It takes twenty minutes to get there and neither of you is ready. Chop chop!" He clapped loudly, hoping to speed them up.

"I'll use the locker room and meet you two in the player lounge." Wildwing stood. "Dive, you can use our shower. Ten minutes, got it?"

Nosedive looked upwards and shook his head side to side, mocking his brother's words.

"I'm serious."

Giving in, he gave a thumbs up.

"Here," Phil held out the hot chocolate and donuts. "Breakfast."

"I'll take that," Duke snatched the proffered bag and inspected the contents. "Ooh, jelly filled. Thanks, Phil." He began munching on one.

Nosedive glared at the thief and stayed put.

"Dive!" Wildwing ordered. "Up. Now."

Annoyed at Wildwing's demands, Nosedive gave his brother a smug smile and slowly inched the sheet covering his right arm down. The IV remained hidden, but he was threatening to make it visible.

The white drake froze, his breathing becoming erratic as his gaze fixed on Nosedive's arm. "F-fine. Ha-have Tanya do what-whatever." He turned and bolted from the room.

Phil glanced from Wildwing's retreating back to Nosedive to Duke and back again. "What was that about?"

Neither one answered.

"Forget it. Here," he held the hot chocolate out to Nosedive again.

"Thanks." Duke stole the drink too. "Kid can't eat or drink til after tomorrow."

"Nosedive, will you get up now?" Phil was beginning to understand Wildwing's frustration. "Please! We're going to be late."

The injured drake threw the sheet hiding his arm off and emphatically pointed to the IV and then to Tanya.

"Oh." The idea finally wormed its way through Phil's thick skull. "Hey, Tanya," he tried waking her. "Nosedive needs you to take that thing out of his arm."

"Go way," she mumbled, pulling the sheet tighter over her head.

Duke smiled and pulled the second donut out of the bag. Holding what remained of the other one in his own mouth, he pried up the sheet and held it by her nose.

"Hm?" She opened her eyes, staring at the powder sugar covered delicacy through bleary eyes.

Duke slowly lifted the donut, smiling to himself as she sat up, following the delicious aroma. He let her have it when she reached for it.

"Wha?" Tanya took a bite of the donut and looked between Phil and Duke, still confused about what was going on.

"Here," Duke handed her the hot chocolate too. "Think you can get that thing outta Nosedive's arm?" He spoke slowly, hoping she'd understand.

"Mm-hmm," Tanya blinked lazily and nodded, agreeing around her mouthful of food.

"Good." Duke finished off his own donut and stretched his arms above his head. "Then I'm outta here."

Phil impatiently waited as Tanya slid out of bed, leaving the pastry on top of the cup on the table between the medicom beds. Her glasses rested on the metallic surface as well. He was surprised to see she'd stripped down to a violet camisole and underwear. The scant clothing revealed a surprisingly well-toned figure with very little fat. Those purple jumpsuits she wore always made her look dumpy and maybe a little on the chunky side.

"Babe!" The thought of being embarrassed at seeing Tanya in what amounted to her underwear never crossed her mind. "We've got to get you a swimsuit shoot! I had no idea you were so gorgeous." Wow, _two_ babes on the team! Just think of all the publicity that could earn them. He could double the number of fashion photo shoots if Tanya would just show off a little more skin, er, feather, or whatever.

She stared at him, sleep still muddling the world around her. Pointing one finger at him, she very seriously said, "Olka," and returned to removing the IV from Nosedive's arm. Once the needle was out of the cannula, she began wrapping an ace bandage around it to keep the cannula clean and out of sight.

"Olka?" Phil frowned as Nosedive tried not to laugh. "What's that mean?"

Tanya smirked, walked back to her bed, and pulled the covers over her head once more.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" He looked to Nosedive.

The teen shook his head no as he stood and headed back to his room for a shower.

Phil checked his watch again. They had eight minutes to be ready. Nosedive had better hurry up.

* * *

**End AN:** Olka is an Akaskin insult. _Olka_ is a specific type of rash from sweaty, dirty equipment rubbing bacteria into the skin. It creates terribly itchy blisters at the follicle, causing loss of feathers, and bleeding if scratched at. It typically happens on the shoulders from improperly fitting shoulder pads that haven't been properly cleaned. She pretty much called Phil an irritation that goes under the skin and takes forever to get rid of. (Yes, I made all of that up.)


	7. Mo Zart's Music Emporium

**5/8/2015 AN: **Look! The story lives! You actually get an update! Still not entirely sure where I'm going with this. Oh well, I'm having fun with it and that's what matters.

* * *

Nosedive tried not to smile as he and Wildwing entered Moe Zart's Music. He'd managed to convince Phil to drop them off at the store on the way back to the Pond. Wildwing had been resistant at first; but, Nosedive knew how to work him around to seeing things his way.

"Ten minutes," Wildwing reminded as they walked back towards the sheet music.

"Ah, my favorite ducks!" Moe waddled out from behind the counter. "And what are we looking for today?"

"Just browsing."

Nosedive nodded and picked up a booklet, flipped to a random page, and put it back before getting another. He glanced up and waved to the short, overweight human before returning to the search for new music.

Sadness replaced the cheerful grin the store proprietor had previously worn. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh?" Wildwing stopped staring at one of the Gibson Hummingbird guitars lining the wall. "Oh! No. He lost his voice."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Hope it's nothing permanent."

"It shouldn't be."

Nosedive poked his brother's arm to get his attention and held up a copy of _Death Waltz._ This seemed like a challenge he could enjoy. That _Flight of the Bumblebee _variation for piano had been entertaining to learn. Now, he was looking for something new to try.

"Death Waltz?" He raised an eyebrow at the title. "Sounds kind of morbid."

Nosedive smiled widely, letting him know that was the reason he'd picked it up.

Moe looked around Wildwing and to the book Nosedive held up. "Oh, my! Do you really think you could play that one?"

Nosedive nodded. The staff was barely visible under the multitude of notes covering the page. It might take him a while to master; but, he was sure he could do it.

"I don't know…" A mischievousness equal to the alien teen's gleamed in his eyes. "That piece is near impossible to play. I've heard of only three pianists in the world who can do it."

Nosedive shrugged, dismissing the human's warnings.

"Really?" Wildwing glanced between the two. "How long do you think it'll take before you give this one up?"

Nosedive frowned and shook his head. No way. Just because it was impossible for most humans doesn't mean it was impossible for him.

"Tell you what," Moe offered, "If he can play the first page, I'll give you the book."

"Thank you," Wildwing shook his head. "But we'll buy it."

Nosedive hit him on the shoulder, glaring sharply. He nodded to Moe and walked towards the back of the store where a baby grand piano hid amongst the multitude of uprights and one player piano. Confidently sitting down on the bench, he lifted the fall that protected the keys, and placed the music on the stand. Interlocking his fingers, he stretched his arms out and cracked his knuckles, then began reading the music.

Tentative notes floated through the air as he tried to figure out how to play the first stanza. Growing more confident, he replayed it a couple of times until he got the fingering right and moved on to the second and third.

"Not bad, not bad," Moe tilted his head appreciatively. "But, it is supposed to be much faster. Much, much, much faster." One side of his thick lips lifted in a teasing grin. "I know you're fast on the ice; but," he shrugged, "Not so much on the keyboard."

"Give him a minute," Wildwing immediately came to his defense. "He'll get it."

Nosedive held up one finger to the doubting man, eyes narrowed. Returning to the piano, he smoothly played through the first three stanzas at an astounding speed. Satisfied that the challenge had been met, he leaned an elbow on the ivory keys, head resting in hand, and smugly stared at Moe.

"Ah, me." Moe shook his head in over-exaggerated sadness. "Alas, you will master this piece too. I shall have to find something more difficult."

Nosedive nodded and stood, covering the piano keys once more.

"Perhaps I can challenge you with something," Moe prodded the white drake.

"Not today, no." Wildwing shook his head and followed Nosedive, not even bothering to stop by the guitar sheet music.

Nosedive went straight to the keyboards and turned one on, grinning wickedly at his brother before pressing random keys and eliciting a cacophony of strange sound effects.

"Nosedive," Wildwing's eyes closed in pain as he whined the name. "Stop. Please. The radio station was enough."

Due to the lack of voice, the radio station had given Nosedive control of the sound effects board for the interview and caller questions. He'd had more than a little fun with that kind of power. Wildwing was laughing and going along with it until Nosedive found the _Boing!_ Sound effect. Every time anyone would say his brother's name, he'd press the button, effectively disrupting whatever was being said.

The wicked grin turned even more sinister as he opened the _Death Waltz_ book and began playing the first three stanzas, creating the most horrendous combination of bells, whistles, fake drums, and keyboard screeching possible.

Wildwing reached over and turned off the keyboard, ending the ear shattering racket. He turned and walked over to the Gibson Hummingbird, admiring it once more.

Nosedive flipped the keyboard back on and changed the effects to lasers. He loved how the _Imperial March_ sounded when played soley in strange keyboard effects.

"I'm not listening to you," Wildwing called out, hands clasped behind his back as he eyeballed the several thousand dollar guitar.

Nosedive stuck out his tongue and made a face before turning off the keyboard and joining his brother at the counter. He tossed the book by the register and added a few guitar picks to the top of it. Wildwing was always loosing them and he liked to have extras to use as bribes.

"And that is all for you today?" Moe scanned the book and picks.

Nosedive nodded, retrieving his wallet from his back pocket.

"I've got it," Wildwing handed his card to Moe before Nosedive could get his out. "Full price."

"With the discount," Moe stressed, "It comes to eight dollars and thirty four cents."

"And without the discount?"

"Without? Six dollars and twenty cents." Moe's nose wrinkled as he smiled and shook his head.

"Fine." Wildwing held up his hands in surrender.

"Good."

Beeping from their communicators interrupted the transaction. Nosedive and Wildwing flipped open the tops of their devices and were greeted by an annoyed Tanya.

"Where are you two?" Her voice sounded even stuffier than normal.

"At the music store. Is everything okay?"

Nosedive held up the music book to the comm so she could see what he had purchased.

"No! You two need to get over here right now."

Wildwing raised an eyebrow at her sharp words.

"I'm here with Dr. Lowes and she has to leave in an hour. If you two don't get over here now, you can forget about playing Thursday's game."

"We're on our way," Wildwing promised.

Nosedive nodded. Once the connection was cut, he glanced at his brother and tried very hard not to laugh. Tanya could get really cranky if she didn't get to sleep in her own bed.

"Guess we'd better hurry up," Wildwing sighed. "I don't want to get her any more ruffled than she already is."

Nosedive held up an okay sign and grabbed the bag off the counter, then followed his brother out the door and towards the arena.

* * *

**End AN: **I was originally going to make Nosedive fail at playing the sheet music; after all, he's not perfect! However, I kind of feel like I'm throwing enough at him without including public humiliation. Besides, it's fun to have him and Wildwing bickering!


	8. Dr Lowes

**06/04/2015 AN:** Lookie! Another chapter! Decided to do this one entirely from Dr. Lowes point of view, just for something a little different.

* * *

Katheryn Lowes smiled to herself as Tanya closed the communicator. She had planned on going for a walk in an hour and then taking an early lunch. She'd have returned to work in plenty of time for the open practice scheduled for three this afternoon.

"That should keep him from procrastinating." Tanya chuckled and shook her head in slight annoyance.

"Thank you." The doctor took another sip of her coffee while they waited. She and Tanya often met to discuss the team's physical fitness and to help train the staff on the ducks particular physiology.

She listened as Tanya filled her in on exactly what had occurred last night. It seemed highly unlikely that the team had actually been running around a museum at night and some ninja had hit Nosedive in the throat. The more likely story was he'd been rough housing with one of them and the injury was accidental. But, if nobody wanted to own up to hurting one of their teammates, she wasn't going to be the one to police them. After all, they were adults. Supposedly.

While they waited, she went over the CT x-ray Tanya had provided. The detail was amazing, far beyond anything she knew of currently available to the medical community. Katheryn was going to have to try once more to get her to share the technology for whatever equipment Tanya had used.

Judging by the hairline fracture crawling across the cartilage and the swelling, the injury was certain to affect his ability to breathe. It was impossible to pass judgment until she examined him herself; but, for now, it looked like the team would be short a player tomorrow.

Fifteen minutes after Tanya had called the Flashblades, the brothers entered her treatment and therapy center. Wildwing hung back, letting Nosedive enter first. Nosedive gave a polite wave and smile.

"Wildwing, Nosedive," Dr. Lowes greeted as she slid from her stool.

"Kathryn." Wildwing's response was short.

She ignored Wildwing's attitude and instead focused on Nosedive. She'd deal with the goalie later. Wildwing had skipped out on the last two physicals and she was done covering for him with the NHL.

"Hop up here," she directed, patting one of the padded exam tables. When Nosedive obliged, she gently applied pressure around his throat to see how bad she swelling was.

Wildwing moved next to Tanya and waited with her while the human examined his brother. He leaned against the black counter top in an effort to appear relaxed. The tension in his shoulders and quick glances he kept sending towards the door told the truth.

Dr. Lowes sighed and shook her head as she stepped back from Nosedive. She'd had to listen carefully to catch it, but the whistling noise he made each time he inhaled showed just how restricted his airway had become. "I'm sorry, but I can't clear you for play—"

Nosedive's hurt and pleading gaze stopped her. He held up a hand questioningly, wanting more information.

"There's too much swelling. I'd prescribe prednisone to help with that; but, Tanya told me she already administered cortisone last night, which is pretty much the same thing. No talking for the next few days."

The silent drake clasped his hands together and raised them, staring into her eyes, pleading for a different decision. At her crossed arms and raised eyebrow, he slid off the table and stood in front of his brother.

Wildwing sighed and stared down at the smaller duck. After a moment, his face relaxed and he turned his attention to Dr. Lowes.

"Are you sure he won't be good enough by tomorrow?"

"No, I don't think so," she shook her head. "Not with this level of swelling. There's too high a risk of some other player making the injury worse. He could choke on his own spit during practice."

Nosedive's shoulders sagged and he turned in a small circle, hands on head. There was no way he was missing out on Thursday's game. He felt fine! Whatever Tanya had given him last night had really helped; he wasn't having problems breathing today at all.

"Sorry, baby bro," Wildwing tried to make him feel better. "It's just one game. We can handle it."

The glare Wildwing received for his efforts could have melted paint off a car. It vanished as quickly as it appeared as Nosedive propped his leg up on a nearby stool and pulled his pants leg up. Emphatically pointing to a scar running down the right side of his calf, he leveled a cool, demanding gaze at his brother.

"No, Dive. This is different."

The crossed arms, tilted head, and small shrug asked the question for him. _How?_

"Because we don't have drones threatening to—" He stopped short and shook his head.

"Wildwing?" Dr. Lowe broke in. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to translate. I have no idea what he's trying to say."

"It's nothing."

Nosedive slapped his arm with a fair bit of force before pointing to his leg again.

"He doesn't think it's nothing," she pressed. "If you know what he's trying to say, then I think you'd be doing us all a favor by elucidating."

"Well, yeah," Tanya agreed. She knew about the scar, but not how he'd received it. Despite their best efforts, record keeping on prior injuries had been sketchy to nonexistent in the Resistance. "What's that, you know, have to do with anything?"

Wildwing crossed his arms and stood tall. "It doesn't."

This time, Nosedive outright punched him in the shoulder. Taking matters into his own hands, he began opening drawers, searching for something to write on.

"Hang on." She vanished into her office and came back with a legal pad and pen.

Wildwing snatched the pen before Nosedive could take it. He gave his brother a warning look and small shake of his head.

"He got that scar almost two years ago."

"Oh." Tanya drew out the word, understanding the significance of the time frame. "I still think you need to, you know, tell us what happened. He wants to."

Nosedive nodded vigorously. He made a move to take the pen from his brother, but it was moved out of reach.

"Give us a minute?" Wildwing turned to Kathryn, finally giving her his attention. It figured, that he'd only speak to her to ask her to leave.

"Fine." With a shrug, she turned and walked back into her office. She closed the door behind her to give them the illusion of privacy. Fictional paperwork took up most of her attention while she watched them through the window.

Wildwing visibly relaxed the moment she left. One of these days, she was going to figure out exactly what his problem was with her. He seemed nice enough around the rest of the arena personnel. Maybe it had something to do with his trypanophobia. Then again, he was only afraid of needles, as far as she knew. It was possible his fear extended to doctors as well. Latrophobia often accompanied trypanophobia, especially in extreme cases.

She turned another blank page over in case they were watching and moved her gaze downward, keeping the three ducks in her peripheral vision. Wildwing and Tanya spoke calmly while Nosedive occasionally prodded his brother, obviously forcing out more information that was being given willingly.

When Tanya started moving towards her door, she stood and pretended to shuffle the blank papers into a folder to be filed. Her back was to the door when Tanya knocked and opened it.

"Are you busy with something?"

"No," Kathryn put the folder in a filing cabinet and made a mental note to retrieve it later. "So, what's the big secret?" She followed Tanya back to the exam table where the small group stood.

Nosedive had hopped back onto the table and sat with his elbows on his knees, swinging his legs.

"Do you want to brief her?" Tanya asked Wildwing. When he shook his head, she continued. "Nosedive's leg was injured almost two years ago. He continued to walk and carry loads without medical attention. The scar probably wouldn't be, uh, quite that ugly, sorry, Dive, if he'd had stitches or been able to properly clean it. But, those were extenuating circumstances." She gave Nosedive a hard look. "I don't see how dealing with a leg injury back then affects airway restriction now."

"Agreed." Wildwing spoke up. "You're benched unless you can pass a physical tomorrow."

Nosedive rested his chin in his hand, shoulders slumped. His kicking legs stilled as he accepted the verdict.

"Speaking of passing physicals," Kathryn met Wildwing's gaze. "You're overdue and I've covered enough for you. So, if you don't mind doing that now, we can get it out of the way."

"I thought you had to leave soon." His face became as unreadable as if he were wearing his goalie mask while the rigidity returned to his posture.

"It can wait." She crossed her arms and stared at him, refusing to back down. "If you would prefer to do it later this afternoon, I can come back."

"Tanya will give you what you need." He turned his back on her and motioned for Nosedive to follow him. "Thank you for looking out for Nosedive." With that, they left the treatment and therapy center.

"Rude, much?" Kathryn snorted and threw her hands up in disgust. "This is ridiculous. Tanya, you've got to convince him to let me actually do the physical."

"Sorry. It's, not, uh," she shrugged. "There's not much I can do."

"Unless you're actually a doctor and hiding it, I can't keep giving the NHL the results from tests that you've done. I need to do it or I could loose my job."

"I'm qualified." Tanya wouldn't meet her in the eye, instead focusing on her omnitool.

Dr. Lowes studied the duck in front of her. She had no doubt Tanya was more than qualified. Her knowledge of avian physiology, anatomy, and illnesses, rivaled that of any medical professional.

"Are you a doctor?" It was possible.

"If you put that idea in Wildwing's head," she held up a warning finger, "I will personally ensure none of your electronics ever work right again."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Including your microwave."

"Are you?"

"No." Again, Tanya's gaze shifted to her omnitool. "Listen, I, uh, I've got some stuff I need to check on. I'll get you Wildwing's results after practice today."

"Fine." She knew Tanya was evading the half-truth or outright lie she'd just told. "Then I'll see you this afternoon." She smiled and took a step away.

Tanya returned the smile and waved on her way out.


	9. Shattered Display

**11/8/2015 AN:** Ah! The story lives! I'm participating in NaNoWriMo yet again. This year, instead of working on a single story, I have decided to finish all of my half-started and unfinished pieces. This one is included in that list. So, here you go! There's another chapter! I hope you enjoy some Duke and Mallory hanging out at a museum :)

* * *

"Oh, no, no, no!" Captain Klegghorn instantly shook his head and ducked under the crime scene tape when he saw Duke and Mallory approaching. "Tell me you birds did not have anything to do with this!"

"Eh, heh heh." Duke smiled and scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh, what a shame," Mallory pretend pouted. "And we really wanted to see that sword exhibit too. Guess the date's over."

"What?" Duke frowned at her before shaking his head in exasperation. "You're nuts."

"Yeah." She shrugged.

"Look, I don't care what's going on between you two or whatever this is," Klegghorn pointed from one Mighty Duck to the other. "But, I've got a crime to investigate. So, unless you have information I need, I suggest you leave!"

"Well, we might have an idea what was taken," Duke said.

"And how many there were," Mallory added.

Deep lines formed across the human's brow as he glared at the aliens. With an exaggerated sigh, he lifted the police tape and waved them under. "Come on. What've ya got?"

"Not much." Mallory followed, being careful to step where Klegghorn did so as not to disturb the evidence.

"Haven't run into any cosca's like them round here in Anaheim before. Three of 'em, all in black." Duke kept a sharp eye on the various smashed cases and weapons strewn about as they walked towards the back of the exhibit, closer to where Nosedive was injured.

"Hm." Klegghorn acknowledged his information while mentally filing away the terminology Duke used for later thought. Not too many people used mob speak as casually as he did and even fewer knew _cosca_ meant gang. If he hadn't been so obsessed with Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, and Lucky Luciano as a teenager, he probably wouldn't know what the one eyed drake was talking about. "Museum's still cataloging everything to get a count on what's missing."

"We know they took at least one sword."

"Katana," Duke clarified. "Bout thirty-three arpens. Uh… Twenty… Twenty six? Ah, twenty seven inches. Black scabbard, probably wood. Nothing else remarkable bout it that I saw."

"Actually," a young woman interrupted, "A katana's sheath is called a _saya_." She pushed thin rimmed glasses back up her nose.

"Duke, Mallory, meet Juliette Hurst. She's one of the interns who's been working on the exhibit."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She shook each athlete's hand. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand exactly why you're here. Or," she looked Duke in the eye, "How you know what was taken."

"Yeah," he tilted his head in thought, "We like to check up on alarms and local criminal activity. Most of the time, we're able ta put a stop to it before things get too bad."

"If there's trouble, they're usually mixed up in it one way or another," Klegghorn growled, arms crossed. "Do you think this involved any other, uh, extra-terrestrial activity?"

"Nah." Duke shook his head. "Any clue on how they got in?"

"None," Juliette put her hands on her hips. "We've been working on cleaning up this mess since five this morning. So far, we haven't found anything that's been taken."

"Except for the katana," Mallory stated.

"We're not done yet. It'll be impossible to know the extent of the damage until we've cleaned up everything."

Duke nodded and looked around. A jewel encrusted dagger from India caught his eye. Picking it up, he removed it from the sheath and studied the blade. Gold leaf flowers with ruby buds curved around the white jade handle. Intricate swirls and floral patterns embossed in the gold stretched down onto the steel blade.

"Put that back." Mallory didn't sound too bothered by the fact that he had it. She was giving more of a reminder than an order, letting him know she hadn't forgotten about his past.

"It's not worth much anyway." He resheathed it and handed it over to Juliette. "This one's a replica."

Juliette raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How could you tell?"

"Swords are kind of a thing for me. I can spot a fake pretty easy. Sides, the jade's warm."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Mallory stepped over some broken glass to look at another shattered display case.

"Real jade's always cool to the touch, takes a while to warm up. That wasn't cool enough."

"I see we have a hobby gemologist," Juliette set the blade on a cart after copying its number to a clipboard so it could be matched up with the items that had been on display.

Mallory slowly walked around the now brightly lit room, inspecting the smashed cases and trying to piece together the order of events or spot anything that seemed out of place. A large case with labels describing items from thirteenth century Japan caught her attention. Black cloth hung from a glass shard on the bottom corner. She pulled it off and carried it over to Duke.

"This look familiar to you?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "Looks like what they were wearing."

"Stop touching the evidence!" Klegghorn shouted, walking over and holding a plastic bag out to her. "Drop it in the bag and stop messing with stuff. If you notice anything, _tell me!__"_

"Careful there, Cap. Might want to calm down before you pop a blood vessel or something."

"And you can stop molting all over the place."

Mallory glanced at her arm, then the floor. Not seeing any feathers laying around, she glanced at Duke and shrugged.

Duke inspected the case as well. After reading each plaque and mentally matching it up with something laying on the floor, he pointed to the central space where a katana had been.

"That's what was taken."

"How can you be sure?" Klegghorn scratched his chin in thought.

"Cause everything else from this case is there, there, and there and I saw the katana they took."

"Juliette?" Mallory called the intern over. "Do you see this katana anywhere?"

"Um…" The woman frowned and began slowly walking around the room, eyes to the floor. "No, it doesn't look like it."

"What can you tell us about that sword?"

"Thirteenth century, Kamakura era. It's on loan from the Compton Collection. Valued at over four hundred thousand dollars."

Duke whistled in appreciation for the value.

"No question there why that one was taken."

"Wait," Mallory held up a hand. "If you put replicas on display to protect the expensive and rare ones, why was this real one on display?"

"Because the museum hasn't finished making a replica of it," Juliette explained. "It's still sitting on my desk in the back."

"Anything else you can tell us about this blade?" Mallory asked.

"Other than the legends surrounding it? No."

"And those would be?"

"This particular blade was forged by the legendary Shijo Hoshi to defeat a vengeful ghost known as an onryo that was terrorizing the local peasants. This blade was blessed by a Buddhist priest to slay any otherworldly spirit and send them into oblivion. Kamo Wakabayashi, the samurai who slew the onryo wasn't as pure as believed. Instead of sending the onryo into oblivion he bound it to the blade. Now, any who use the sword are possessed by both the spirits of the onryo and Kamo."

"Aw, shit." Duke sighed. "This one's gonna be fun. Can't say I've fought a ghost before."

"We're not going to have to fight a ghost," Mallory hit his shoulder. "It's just a stupid legend."

"Hey, hey, hey. Have you not been paying attention to everything that's happened over the last two years? Between the flying snakes, minotaurs, dinosaurs, and talking chipmunks, I've learned that it's never the easy solution. We're gonna fight a ghost."

"No. I refuse to believe that."

"Twenty dollars says it's the Oreo."

"Onryo," Juliette corrected, stressing the first part. "It's pronounced _own-dreeoh.__"_

"You're on." Mallory accepted.

"Please don't let it be the ghost," Klegghorn added. "Assuming there is a ghost, how would you defeat it?"

"That is up for debate. Holy water? An exorcist? I don't know. I just know the history surrounding the weapon."

"We'd better get back and let the others know." Mallory started heading back towards the entrance.

"But," Duke moved his arm wide, gesturing to the weapons littering the floor. "What about the exhibit? Thought we were going to check it out."

"We did." She crossed her arms. "And we've been through it once. How many boxes of ammo are you going to buy?"

"Uh…" He looked to Juliette. "How many blades ya got on display here?"

"Three hundred and eighty-nine."

"Oooh," Mallory smiled. "That's a lot of bullets."

"Fine." Duke rolled his eyes and joined her. "We'll get back to the others."

"Smart boy."

"But we're coming back when this is cleaned up."


	10. Satsu

Silence of the Duck

We finally meet the villain

**AN:** (11/26) Check it out! Another chapter has been added to this story. It took forever to finally settle on who the villain was and what his motivations were. But, thanks to NaNoWriMo, I now have that figured out as well as a lot more story written! Enjoy this piece. More is coming soon :)

Satsu Musei paced the length of the Tarranea Resort suite he had rented. His fist clenched and unclenched as he turned his back to the television and walked away from it, muttering to himself in Japanese.

The television showed a redheaded reporter standing on Long Beach with another Japanese man and woman next to her. Questions were directed to the man who replied in his native language and translated by the woman.

"What exactly is this machine supposed to do?" the redhead asked, thrusting her microphone towards the man who was identified as Toru Arata by an animated strip appearing across the bottom of the screen.

"There are three stages of robots here. The first one is a floating moon that will travel through oil spills, collecting and separating the petroleum from the water. Each one has a reservoir of up to five hundred gallons. When it is full, it will return to shore to be collected. The second stage is a mobile wildlife rescue. These jellyfish inspired robots will search out affected animals— dolphins, birds, fish, seals— and release nanobots that eat the petroleum. Once the creature is cleaned, they are released. The third robot, a bottom feeder of sorts, roams the ocean floor and collects oil that naturally seeps up from the earth's crust."

"These are brilliant innovations that look to help the planet!"

"AAARGH!" Satsu threw a vase from the nearby side table into the screen, shattering both. Water dripped down the now sparking television set onto the tiled floor. Anger flamed in his dark eyes at the now vanished image of Toru and his translator.

A knock on the door pulled his attention away from the destruction and mess he had created. He remained in place a moment and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself before answering. Entering business transactions while angry made for sloppy deals.

Feeling more composed, he passed through the living room and kitchen area of his rented suite and into the entryway. He opened the door and stepped aside so the three people in the hallway could enter.

The two men and one woman each greeted him with a low bow as they entered his temporary home and removed their shoes before stepping inside. The shoes were placed on a tray by the door.

He led them into the combined kitchen living room area and stood by one of the chairs, hands resting on the back.

"Well?" He didn't bother with any other introduction or pleasantry. He had hired them for one thing and one thing alone. If they had been unsuccessful, there would be consequences.

The woman, a petite but muscular blond, stepped forward and lay an elongated, fabric wrapped item on the table. She again bowed and stepped back to allow him to inspect the goods.

Satsu flipped the black silk back, uncovering the ancient katana swathed within. He gripped the handle with one hand and held it up.

"Yes." A thin smile stretched across his face. "I can feel the onryo trapped within." His smile grew darker as he pulled the blade from its saya.

"The price has increased," the larger man spoke up. "We ran into trouble getting this for you."

"You will be paid what we agreed upon." Satsu's eyes remained on the shine of the blade. Seven hundred years had done nothing to diminish the exquisite craftsmanship or dull the still lethal blade.

"You didn't mention the city's… Bird problem," the second man, also muscular but more wiry than bulky, raised a hand and rubbed his fingers and thumb together. "We need more cash."

"Who knew hockey players had secret lives as crime fighters?" the woman added.

"What?" Satsu frowned. "Hockey players?"

"Yeah." She put her hands on her hips. "Hockey players who happen to be giant ducks! One of them somehow managed to point out all of our locations. We almost didn't get that sword."

"Marise here managed to injure one of them," the larger man said. "Should have killed him."

"It wasn't for lack of trying, Kano."

"It's probably best that you didn't." Satsu resheathed the sword. "We don't need anyone investigating a murder in addition to your botched robbery.

"Says you," Kano muttered. "You didn't have to fight them. They were trained, the one- eyed one especially. He's an expert with a sword."

"Hm." Satsu lay the sword on the table. "It appears I may have further use of your services. Toru will die. When I unleash the power of the onyro, I will be unstoppable. Until then, I want you three to act as distractions for those birds. Give them something else to chase."

"Sounds fun." Marise's smile was one of malice.

3


	11. Open Practice

**12/7/15 AN:** More story! This thing's been giving me some trouble, but I'm pushing through. One thing the cartoons never cover is how the hell a team comprised of only six members would handle a game if one of them was injured. This is me solving that problem! More to come later.

* * *

Thank the stars today's practice was an open one with the Admirals, the AHL farm team for the LA Barons. Phil had the foresight back when the team was formed to work out a deal with them to share the team. As long as the ducks gave their input on players and who should be selected for the Admirals, they would be allowed to use any of the Admirals needed to fill in their team if someone was injured or ill.

Nosedive sat in the locker room, silently watching everyone else suit up. He slumped on the seat at his station, chin resting in hand. It was never much fun to know everyone else would be out on the ice, having a good time and he would be stuck on the bench. It was just like that time he broke his ankle when he was eleven.

Wildwing, clad in the lower half of his goalie gear, walked over to Phil to have a small discussion with him. Nosedive watched, paying attention to what was being said more out of boredom than interest. As soon as heard his name, he really started listening.

"Nosedive can't practice today or play in tomorrow's game. He needs to be watched for the next couple of days. Since we'll be out on the ice and deciding who will be his replacement, we'll need you to keep an eye on him. Do you think you can do that?

"Sure, bubbeh, no problem!" Phil grabbed his cell and walked from the room to make his call.

Great. Now he'd have to deal with Phil the whole time. That might be better than sitting on the bench by himself. Maybe.

When Wildwing came back, he glared at his brother to let him know he wasn't happy with the arrangement. Grabbing the notebook he'd started carrying, he scribbled a quick _I don__'t need a babysitter._

"Sorry, baby brother, but you do today and tomorrow. Doctor's orders."

The blond's eyes narrowed in anger. Wildwing was one to demand anyone follow a doctor's orders.

"Suck it up." Wildwing walked back to his gear and put his shoulder pads on.

Nosedive mocked his brother's words by mouthing them silently.

Fed up with not being able to participate, he stood and pulled his skates from the hook above his stall. Making as much noise as possible while removing his boots, he threw them across the room and into the laundry bin.

"Dive, what are you doing?" Wildwing gave him a sideways look.

"Come on, Wing," Duke spoke up for Nosedive. "Let the kid skate."

"No way," Tanya immediately overrode anything Wildwing could say. "You're staying on the bench until after tomorrow."

He ignored them and pushed his left foot into the skate. While they bickered over if he would be allowed on the ice or not, he laced it up and started working on the right one. He stopped when a gigantic form stood before him. Looking up, he saw the displeased face of the team's largest member. Hoping to gain an ally, he cracked a smile and gave the giant a thumb's up.

Grin's expression remained that tiny bit disapproving.

Nosedive's grin faltered. He lifted a shoulder in indifference.

Grin shook his head no and pointed to the skates.

"Good luck with that," Wildwing muttered. Louder, he spoke to sibling. "Really? Just stop. Tanya and Dr. Lowes said no. It's two days. I'm sure you can survive for two days without skating."

"I'm amazed he's survived the whole morning without saying anything," Mallory joked.

Nosedive threw her a dirty look before holding up his middle finger.

"Fuck you too." Her voice stayed sweet, indifferent to his attitude.

"Such language," Duke teased. "Not very ladylike of you, Mallory."

"Who said I'm a lady?"

"Every tabloid ever?" Tanya chimed in.

Phil returned from wherever he had wandered off to.

"Okay guys, the Admirals are ready for you. They're out there warming up."

"Skates off, Dive," Wildwing ordered before pulling on his jersey and settling a mask into place.

Nosedive sighed, winced, and began removing the skates. Fine. No fun today. Wildwing was going to have to pay, one way or another.

Nosedive sat next to Phil on the bench. It was strange seeing the practice from that vantage point. It'd literally been years since he'd had to sit on the bench for a game. Actually, that was a depressing thought. Between the invasion and spending over a year in a slave camp, he hadn't been on a team other than this one since he was fifteen.

Shaking the dismal thoughts aside, he turned around and looked at the sizable crowd that had gathered. Of course all the seats by the ice itself were taken. Once every couple of weeks, they would have an open practice the public was allowed to attend. The Ducks invited the Admirals to the Pond for these special practices. That way, there were enough players to put on an exhibition game and really sharpen their team skills. Otherwise, it'd be pretty boring to watch everyone go through drills.

They had gone through drill after drill for the first open practice and nobody seemed too happy about watching Mallory cut and pivot through cones while shooting pucks at an empty net or Nosedive practicing his stick handling with a weight added to the end of his stick. It didn't take too long before they realized that their ridiculously small team size would be a disadvantage when it came to practicing for games. And so, the deal with the LA Barons and their farm team, the Admirals, was born.

"Hey, Nosedive," Michon Albergo skated over to the unusually occupied player's bench and rested a hand on the red topped barrier separating them. His dark navy jersey bearing the Admiral's logo stood out in a sharp contrast to the ice and the Duck's white jerseys. "Not playing today?"

He shook his head no. He should have at least put on his practice jersey instead of sitting there in a t-shirt and jeans. At least he'd have looked more like he was a part of the day instead of one of the observers in the stands.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" he teased.

Nosedive rolled his eyes and shook his head no again. Great. For once in his life, he actually didn't want people to talk to him because it was too difficult to communicate with them and they just kept coming up to him!

"Fuck that. Come on, birdy, you could at least say hi."

Nosedive glared at being called birdy then looked to Phil for an explanation but the manager was otherwise occupied with the Admiral's coaches and manager at the other end of the bench. Figuring sitting in the penalty box would be preferable to being pestered by everyone all day, he jumped over the barrier and walked to the glassed in enclosure, ignoring Albergo's chirping. He slouched onto his new seat, arms crossed and sullenly watching the skating players.

Albergo tapped the glass with the butt of his stick as he rejoined the activities.

Wildwing skated to center ice once warm ups were over. The four other ducks on the ice lined up behind him wile the twenty-two Admirals gathered on the red line in front of him.

"Thank you all for coming to this open practice. Today is going to be quite a bit different from other practices we've had. Nosedive decided to he'd like to be on the injured list—" A sharp thwap on the glass by the penalty box gave him pause. "Yeah, yeah! We hear you, Mute!"

Two loud thumps.

"Anyway," Wildwing continued. "We need someone to take his place for tomorrow's game. Since you're used to working in shifts, we're going to use three of you. It doesn't matter what position you currently play; we're watching all of you for how you work with your teammates, not just your abilities with a stick and puck. We need some real grinders. Your coach should have told you to bring both of your practice jerseys. If you want to play hockey with us until Nosedive is healthy enough to return, switch over to the white. Good luck."

Nosedive heaved as large a sigh as he could manage without causing himself more pain and settled in to watch. Almost all of the Admirals switched over to their alternate practice jerseys.

Wildwing glided over to the penalty box and his sulking sibling. He opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Hey."

Nosedive glared at him, unamused by being called a mute earlier. Injuries happened, Wildwing didn't need to rub it in.

"You're injured, not in trouble. What are you doing in here?"

A blank stare. What did he expect, an actual answer?

"Okay, fine. Listen, I'm going to need your help with who we call up. Think you can do that?"

A shrug.

"Come on." He leaned on the doorway. "I know you're not happy about this; but, can you please help me here? I'm going to be busy in the crease and the more eyes we have on them, the better."

No response other than a slightly sullen look.

"We're not trying to replace you. We just need someone to fill in for you tomorrow. As soon as Dr. Lowes and Tanya clear you for play, the others are gone. Promise."

Duke skated by Wildwing and slapped his goal pads with his stick.

"Come on, let's get this dance started."

"Look, I'm not happy about having humans play with us either. They can't keep up and they're obnoxious. I gotta go. Just, try to keep an eye out, okay?"

He finally nodded and accepted the role Wildwing had given him. He knew Wildwing really did need the help with watching how the others interacted; but, a small part of him felt like it was a pity task to keep him busy. That small part was much louder than logic.


End file.
